Stone shutters are removably secured to columbarium structures by a mounting system that is preferably substantially concealed or substantially hidden from view so as not to detract from the appearance of the stone and the reverent atmosphere of the columbarium. The concealed mounting system must resist corrosion and it must securely hold the shutters in position despite extreme temperature swings and countless freeze-thaw cycles for season-after-season and year-after-year, for decades, if not centuries. In addition, the mounting system must permit the shutters to be relatively easily removed and replaced even after years or decades of being exposed to the elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,644,711 to Eickhof discloses one type of concealed shutter mounting system that meets all of the foregoing challenges. Variations of the Eickhof '711 concealed shutter mounting system have achieved significant commercial success in the columbarium industry. However, a simpler and more cost effective concealed fastener system is needed in view of the recent trend away from using large 24″×24″ stone panels and toward the use of 8″×8″ individual niche shutters. The terms “shutter,” “panel,” “slab” and “facing stone” are used interchangeably throughout this specification.
A standard columbarium niche is 8″×8″. Until relatively recently, it was common to use 24″×24″ stone slabs with false joints cut into the finish face of the stone slab to simulate nine 8″×8″ individual niche shutters. Each of the nine 8″×8″ spaces on the large panel is typically engraved with a the name, birth year and death year of the deceased person whose urn resides behind that 8″×8″ space. Thus, each time an urn is to be placed into one of the nine niches, or each time one of the nine niches is to be engraved, the entire 24″×24″ stone panel has to be removed and then replaced. A typical 24″×24″ stone panel weighs about sixty pounds. Because of the potential for misspelling of names or errors in the birth or death dates during each time the panel is engraved, it is not uncommon to have to discard and replace an entire panel due to a single mistake made when engraving one of the nine niches. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that large panels are not only difficult to handle by a single person due to their size and weight, but the use of large panels can be expensive if the panels need to be replaced due to engraving errors.
As a result of the foregoing concerns with the use of 24″×24″ panels, a relatively recent trend in the columbarium industry is to use 8″×8″ individual niche panels. These smaller panels are easier to handle during initial installation and when they need to be subsequently removed for engraving or when placing an urn within the niche. If there is ever an engraving error, only the single 8″×8″ panel needs to be replaced instead of the entire 24″×24″ panel. It should be appreciated, however, that when going from one large panel to nine smaller individual panels, all other things being equal, the amount of individual hardware pieces required to mount the panels will necessarily increase as will the amount of material costs and labor costs associated with the initial assembly of the panels and the initial mounting of the panels.
Accordingly, there is a need in the industry for a universal concealed mounting system capable of use with virtually any size columbarium shutters, but which has fewer pieces and is quicker and easier to assemble and install then currently available mounting systems in order to reduce material costs and labor costs so that even the use of smaller individual 8″×8″ shutters is at least as cost effective as using larger 24″×24″ panels mounted with currently available mounting systems.
Heretofore, columbaria structures have been constructed using a variety of different materials and techniques. For example, some columbarium structures have been constructed using cast-in-place or precast concrete to form the niches. Other columbarium structures have been constructed entirely from aluminum members welded or bolted together to form the niches. While each of these types of construction may serve the intended purpose, both construction types are costly and time consuming. U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,812 to Eickhof (hereinafter “the '812 patent”) discloses a columbarium structure that is comprised of a framework of vertical risers and horizontal shelves secured together by brackets and tie-rods to form the niches. The '812 patent discloses that the vertical risers are constructed of cement fiberboard and the plastic shelves are constructed of extruded plastic. The '812 patent discloses that the back of the niches are closed off by large cement fiberboard panels secured by rivets or screws to the back flange of the extruded horizontal shelves. The framework of niches is then secured to a supporting wall or another bank of niches. The type of framework construction disclosed in the '812 patent has proven to be very commercially successful due to the savings in labor, time and materials over previous construction methods because the framework is comprised of relatively light weight prefabricated members designed to easily fit together for quick assembly while still providing a durable and quality appearance.
Some customers, however, viewed the use of plastic shelves as being of lesser quality and it was also found that the dimension tolerances of the extruded plastic shelves could not be satisfactorily controlled, impeding the assembly process. As a result, as disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/476,529 to Eickhof (hereinafter “the '529 application”), the extruded plastic shelves were replaced with cement fiberboard. While cement fiberboard shelves provide a more high quality appearance than plastic shelves, they are much heavier and therefore more expensive to ship and more difficult to lift and handle. Furthermore, with the use of a cement fiberboard shelf, both a front rail and a back rail are necessary to support the shelf and to provide the necessary surface area on which to secure the cement fiberboard to enclose the back of the niches and to support the stone facing at the front of the niche. Accordingly, there is a need for a columbarium construction that provides the features and advantages of the framework system disclosed in the '812 patent and which provides the higher quality appearance disclosed in the '529 application, but which is lighter weight for easier handling, which reduces shipping costs, and which reduces handling and labor costs for assembly.
Furthermore, although the concealed mounting system disclosed in the '529 application was a significant improvement over previous concealed mounting systems, the mounting system disclosed in the '529 application did not permit in-and-out adjustment of the shutters or facing stones. As a result, if there was even a minor variation in thickness of the facing stones, it was difficult to adjust the stones in-and-out to provide a smooth or flush wall surface. Furthermore, with the mounting system of the '529 application, when a facing stone was removed, unless it was replaced exactly in the original location the vertical gap between adjacent stones would be inconsistent and detract from the appearance of the columbarium unless time was taken to adjust the facing stone to correct the gap or spacing between the adjacent stones. Additionally, some customers prefer a columbarium structure with a relief pattern in the facing stones. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a concealed mounting system that can accommodate different stone thicknesses and to permit in-and-out adjustment so the facing stones can be easily placed with the desired relief pattern in the wall. It is also desirable to provide a mounting system, that will allow the facing stones to be replaced in the same location so as to ensure spacing between the stones remains uniform without having to adjust the stones after they are replaced.